How to Rob a Bank (2024): Netflix is a champion in the true crime documentary field, milking it all the way through in the last decade. They do a good job with HtRaB, the story of Scott Scurlock, a charismatic anti-system kind of guy who ends up being one of the most dreaded and successful bank robber of the 90s. The movie is at its most interesting as it introduces Scurlock, a guy who seems to fall outside the lines in interestingly unpredictable ways. It also hints at the complex effects crime, even vaguely noble, non-violent crime, has on a person, but doesn’t spend too much time exploring this. While I did enjoy it overall, I was left with a vague sense of unfulfilled potential. 7
Am I OK? (2022): There is this breed of movie out there that’s promoted as a romcom, only to prove a more modern, grounded take that’s ponderous and, frankly, mirthless. I am not quite sure what AIOK falls under, because it’s definitely the first part, but I found that it has a lot of merit in how it depicts turbulent moments in a friendship. The backdrop is set to major life changes in our protagonists, one moving across the world, the other discovering her sexuality, and it’s a clash that puts significant stress on the relationship between Lucy and Jane. The writing could have been sharper and there are some moments that play like false notes, but overall I reckon that AIOK does what it sets out to do in a poignant, yet optimistic way. 7
Bad Boys: Ride or Die (2024): I didn’t warm up for nothing last week, so it was time for a ride or die to the cinema. Will Smith might have lost his lustre after 2023s Oscar kerfuffle, but he can still do Mike Lowrey in his sleep. Martin Lawrence, next to him, seems severely aged, but the movie plays it well enough to allow both to have their moments. It’s definitely a better ride than the original, but not compared to the previous one, which really set a bar that RoD merely aims to reach by retreading. The humor often has a real 90s vibe and the plot is less than imaginative, but it all comes together well enough to be enjoyed somewhat. 6
Late Bloomers (2022): A downbeat 28 year-old breaks her hip and is sent to rehab with elderly people. She meets a grumpy grandma who only speaks Polish and they initially can’t stand each other, but then their solitude makes them a perfect match. Through their commitment to each other they both grow and improve their attitudes towards life. It’s a movie we’ve all seen many times (as are most, ahah) and, thankfully, LB clicks well, helped by a good performance from Karen Gillan in the leading role. 6
Sting (2024): The two Wyrmwood movies of Kiah Roache-Turner are on my watchlist, but this one got lucky. And talking of lucky, or absolutely random, once in a lifetime occurrences, Am I Ok, Late Bloomers and Sting, which I watched on consecutive days with no real agenda in my head, all star Jermaine Fowler. How often does something like this happen? Never! Anyway, regarding Sting, this spider-movie is good on effects and some creepy scenes, but weak on script. It was hard to feel invested in any way, even though I did try to like it, at least for Jermaine’s sake. Alas, functional, but not outside of genre tastes. 5
tributary stu 